Italy Grants €73 Million for Tunisian SMEs
28 February 2014
Read by 1819 persons
TAP - A presentation was given Tuesday in Tunis of a new €73 million credit line granted by Italy for Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Italy is granting a new €73 million credit line to Tunisian SMEs.
The project comes from Italia Lavoro's immigration division, in collaboration with the National Agency for Employment and Independent Work (ANETI) and the Tunisian-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CTIC), as well as the Tunisian agency for technical cooperation and the Italian cooperation office.
Credit resources can be used for the acquisition of new productive equipment and related services, licenses and industrial patents, of Italian origin from Italian suppliers or their Italian and Tunisian representatives.
However, Tunisian SME owners can use 35% of the total credit for the acquisition of new equipment of Tunisian origin without going through an Italian intermediary.
Credits are reserved for private Tunisian SMEs active in the industrial sector (except for the arms industry), agriculture, fishing, forestry, services (except for financial, commercial and tourism services).
Some tourism activities will, however, be included in the credits granted by Italy, such as agritourism, family guesthouses, hotels and entrepreneurial activities related to eco-cultural tourism.
The credit terms are favorable with an interest rate of 2.5% for loans in euros and 4.5% for loans in Tunisian dinars.
The repayment period is a maximum of 10 years with a 3-year grace period for investment credits, 12 months for working capital credits and 5 years for debt rescheduling. The credit ceiling varies according to the nature of the loan.
It is a minimum of €55,000 (approximately 100,000 dinars) for investments and a maximum of €100,000 (approximately 200,000 dinars) for working capital credits.
Preferential criteria for granting one of these credits have been put in place, such as the promotion of the project by joint Italo-Tunisian companies or that the project creates and safeguards jobs, improves the environmental impact and innovates the production process.
Gnet.tn
Published February 26, 2014.
Posted online February 28, 2014.
The project comes from Italia Lavoro's immigration division, in collaboration with the National Agency for Employment and Independent Work (ANETI) and the Tunisian-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CTIC), as well as the Tunisian agency for technical cooperation and the Italian cooperation office.
Credit resources can be used for the acquisition of new productive equipment and related services, licenses and industrial patents, of Italian origin from Italian suppliers or their Italian and Tunisian representatives.
However, Tunisian SME owners can use 35% of the total credit for the acquisition of new equipment of Tunisian origin without going through an Italian intermediary.
Credits are reserved for private Tunisian SMEs active in the industrial sector (except for the arms industry), agriculture, fishing, forestry, services (except for financial, commercial and tourism services).
Some tourism activities will, however, be included in the credits granted by Italy, such as agritourism, family guesthouses, hotels and entrepreneurial activities related to eco-cultural tourism.
The credit terms are favorable with an interest rate of 2.5% for loans in euros and 4.5% for loans in Tunisian dinars.
The repayment period is a maximum of 10 years with a 3-year grace period for investment credits, 12 months for working capital credits and 5 years for debt rescheduling. The credit ceiling varies according to the nature of the loan.
It is a minimum of €55,000 (approximately 100,000 dinars) for investments and a maximum of €100,000 (approximately 200,000 dinars) for working capital credits.
Preferential criteria for granting one of these credits have been put in place, such as the promotion of the project by joint Italo-Tunisian companies or that the project creates and safeguards jobs, improves the environmental impact and innovates the production process.
Gnet.tn
Published February 26, 2014.
Posted online February 28, 2014.
